by Sharon Rondeau
(Jan. 16, 2025) — At a press conference Thursday morning from Orlando, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he has chosen his current attorney general, Ashley Moody, to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Marco Rubio, who President-Elect Donald Trump nominated to be secretary of state in his new administration.
On Wednesday the Senate began its confirmation hearings of Trump’s cabinet nominees, Rubio among them.
Among her accomplishments, DeSantis praised Moody for having “acted time and time again to support the values that we all share.”
Moody “joined lawsuits to take on the weaponization of law enforcement that targeted then- candidate Donald Trump. She took on Jack Smith for his politically-motivated persecution of the former president and fought back against the rogue attorney general of New York…led the Florida investigation into the second Trump assassination attempt in Palm Beach…she’s actually won against Biden with his reckless border policies…,” DeSantis said. “She believes in putting criminals in jail, not releasing them back onto the street…”
As DeSantis’s highest law-enforcement officer, Moody has championed conquering opioid and Fentanyl trafficking and abuse, combating human trafficking, and warning Floridians of possible “scams” associated with solar-energy systems.
Following DeSantis’s announcement, Moody made her own remarks (beginning at 39:18 here) in which she appeared enthusiastic to take on the mantle of U.S. senator despite its pitfalls. With a broad smile, she said by assuming her new role, she will have served in all three branches of government.
She also celebrated having worked with DeSantis for the past six years to invoke “conservative policies” to shrink the size of government. “Look at what Florida has done since,” she said. “We lead the nation in migration, in business formation, in law and order…and I am very honored with this nomination…”
“I will bring the same persistence and passion and tenacity as a United States senator that I have brought with attorney general,” she said.
Previous to becoming Florida AG, Moody was elected a Hillsborough County circuit court judge at age 31, the youngest individual to serve in such a capacity in her state. A former Democrat, she indicated in her remarks Thursday her support for Trump, his “America First” agenda and “the American people.”
She is also a former federal prosecutor and private-practice litigator.
The complete press conference is here, courtesy of First Coast News.
Comments
One response to “DeSantis Announces Moody as Next Florida Senator”
We’ll see. Have seen a lot of senators come in with big creds, and are full of p*ss and vinegar, but end up shying away to play safe’ and face (re)election without demerits.
Re-evaluate in two years.